Arabic · noun · Spirit & the Divine

Marifat

मारिफ़त

said ma-ri-FAT

also written: Marifa, marifa, ma'rifat, irfan

Meaning

Experiential gnosis; the intimate, direct knowledge of God attained by the mystic's heart.

Literally: gnosis; experiential knowledge of God

How Iqbal uses it

Gnosis — the deep, experiential knowledge of God that surpasses mere intellectual belief, the fruit of the spiritual path. Iqbal values marifat as direct, heart-knowledge of the Divine, but unites it with action and self-affirmation: true gnosis, for him, kindles creative power and love rather than ending in passive contemplation.

See it in the verse

Marifat in Iqbal’s couplets

Na ho naumeed, naumeedi zawal-e-ilm-o-irfan hai
Umeed-e-mard-e-momin hai Khuda ke razdanon mein

Do not despair — despair is the downfall of knowledge and insight. The hope of a person of conviction stands among those who know the deepest secrets.

Hope · Youth · Courage

Related words

ARABIC

Haqeeqat

Reality; the Truth, the ultimate essence (the opposite of majaz).

ARABIC

Irfaan

Gnosis, mystical knowledge of the divine.

ARABIC

Ishq

Love — passionate, all-consuming love, whether for the divine or the human.

ARABIC

Kashf

Unveiling; the mystic disclosure of hidden realities to the purified heart.

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